Hurricane Hilary …
Tropical Storm Hilary releases fury on Southern California
“The first tropical storm to hit Los Angeles in more than 80 years unleashed floods across parts of Southern California more accustomed to drought, as officials urged the public to stay safe as they began to count the cost of damage. The National Weather Service downgraded the hurricane to a tropical depression but not before California Governor Gavin Newsom declared a state of emergency for much of Southern California, with flash flood warnings until at least 3 a.m. (1000 GMT) on Monday. Mountain and desert areas could get 5 to 10 inches (12 to 25 cm) of rare rain, as much as the deserts typically see in a year, forecasters said. … ” Read more from Reuters.
How climate change shaped California’s first tropical storm in decades
“Tropical Storm Hilary made history Thursday, becoming the first storm of its kind to enter California since 1997. The state rarely sees landfalling tropical cyclones or hurricanes, thanks to a confluence of cold water and unfavorable atmospheric conditions off the coast. Experts say the occurrence will likely remain relatively rare even as the climate changes. But rising ocean temperatures mean the hurricanes that do happen to make it up the coast may be stronger and more damaging. On Sunday evening, Hilary brought extreme rainfall to neighborhoods from San Diego to Los Angeles, trapping cars in floodwaters and overwhelming drainage systems. … ” Read more from E&E News.
What put Hurricane Hilary on a collision course with California?
“For as long as meteorologists can recall, California has been protected from the wrath of hurricanes by three robust natural defenders: The first is a frigid ocean current that flows down the Pacific Coast, robbing storms of their strength-building tropical heat. The second is a prevailing east-to-west wind pattern that serves to shoo angry storms out to sea before they can collide with the mainland. And the third is atmospheric subsidence — a downward flow of air over California that squishes storms before they can form, and also contributes to the state’s moody marine layer. For at least the last 165 years, these conditions have kept California hurricane-free, experts say. This year, however, an unusual set of weather patterns and warm Pacific Ocean waters have short-circuited these normally reliable safeguards and allowed Hurricane Hilary to make its hell-for-leather dash for Southern California. … ” Continue reading from the LA Times.
SEE ALSO:
- Deadly Hilary hits Mexico, floods parts of Southern California, from AccuWeather
- Hilary slams California with catastrophic flooding, triggering water rescues with more heavy rain to come, from Fox Weather
- Hilary’s harrowing California onslaught: Roads flooded, cars trapped, trees toppled, from the San Francisco Chronicle
In California water news today …
California is free of extreme drought conditions for the first time in 3 years
“In recent years, the prospect of heavy rains might have sounded good to many people living in California, where drought and wildfires have been the main worries. That was not the case on this weekend, as Hurricane Hilary moved north from the coast of Baja California in Mexico and threatened to dump six to 10 inches of rain on the region. After three of the driest years in California history, much of the state is currently free of drought conditions, according to the U.S. Drought Monitor. Storms fueled by “atmospheric rivers” this winter led to flooding and destruction across the state, but they also relieved severe drought conditions across wide swaths of the state, including Los Angeles and San Diego Counties, both of which were in Hilary’s path. … ” Read more from the New York Times.
Shell-shocking details about freshwater mussel reproduction
One of our favorite aspects of teaching is (occasionally) being able to really surprise a student. Many of the fun nature facts folks pick up nowadays come from TV, YouTube, social media, and other media outlets. But these outlets have an inherent bias: they focus on the charismatic species. That is, the species that are big, fluffy, and widely adored. Yet there are so many fascinating species and ecology in the lesser appreciated taxonomic groups (not to mention, focusing on charismatic species leads to inequitable conservation – Rypel et al. 2021). And often, learning about these overlooked species can really blow the mind! Today, we’d like to introduce you all to the fascinating reproductive behavior of freshwater mussels. … ” Continue reading at the California Water Blog.
How heat-shattering ocean temperatures impacts fisheries
“Scientists first spotted the Blob in late 2013. The sprawling patch of unusually tepid water in the Gulf of Alaska grew, and grew some more, until it covered an area about the size of the continental United States. Over the course of two years, 1 million seabirds died, kelp forests withered, and sea lion pups got stranded. But you could have easily missed it. A heat wave in the ocean is not like one on land. What happens on the 70 percent of the planet covered by saltwater is mostly out of sight. There’s no melting asphalt, no straining electrical grids, no sweating through shirts. Just a deep-red splotch on a scientist’s map telling everyone it’s hot out there, and perhaps a photo of birds washed up on a faraway beach to prove it. … ” Read more from Mother Jones.
Berkeley-led carbon management project would study alternatives to oil companies’ efforts
“A new, community-based model for managing carbon in the southern San Joaquin Valley is the goal of a unique study about to launch with federal support. Big differences distinguish it from the three other locally focused grant winners on Aug. 11: No oil companies would be involved, the resulting operation would be community-owned, and it might not inject supercritical carbon dioxide deep underground. The $2,999,999 feasibility study awaiting final approval by the U.S. Department of Energy is to be led by Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory and the University of California, Berkeley’s Center for Law, Energy and the Environment. … ” Read more from the Bakersfield Californian.
In commentary today …
Your clothes are polluting the environment with microplastics. Can washing machines help?
When you hear the word “microfiber,” you probably think of the now-ubiquitous reusable cloths used for cleaning floors, wiping up spills and polishing countertops. For environmentalists, however, that word has a much more sinister meaning. It describes the tiny threads that textiles — clothes, bedding, towels and, yes, reusable cleaning cloths — shed by the millions during each spin through the washing machine and which ultimately end up polluting the environment, particularly oceans, rivers and lakes. Since most clothing is made with synthetic materials, such as polyester, rayon and acrylic, it means that most microfibers are also microplastics. … ” Read more from the LA Times.
In regional water news and commentary today …
NORTH COAST
The Salmon Festival in Klamath, California, is not serving salmon this year, with the hope of restoring a food central to area tribes
“The Yurok Tribe’s annual salmon festival in Klamath, California, is a little different this year. Yes, there’s a noisy parade, yes there are dozens of stalls selling T-shirts and jewelry, yes there are kids wrestling it out in a traditional stick game and yes there is plenty of food. But for only the second time in the 59-year history of the celebration, salmon is not being served. “The smell of salmon should be in the air,” said Gerogianna Gensaw, a Yurok member whose husband is a salmon fisherman, and who feeds her kids salmon nearly every day in life. “It feels like having a party, but your favorite person isn’t there.” … ” Read more from CNN.
BAY AREA
Bay Area forecast: Rain showers, smoke return in aftermath of Hilary
“Rare summer rain showers are expected around the Bay Area on Monday as residual moisture from Tropical Storm Hilary moves over the region. Rainfall totals for most of the Bay Area will be light, but some locations in the North Bay could record over a tenth of an inch. Gusty winds up to 30 mph are also expected for the Pacific Coast and Santa Cruz County. Extensive cloud cover will keep inland high temperatures 5 to 10 below degrees normal, with usual warm spots in the North Bay, East Bay and South Bay reaching only the mid-70s to low 80s. Coastal areas will be closer to normal in the low to mid-60s. Overnight lows will be near 60 degrees for most of the Bay Area. … ” Read more from the San Francisco Chronicle.
Fighting future ‘red tides’ in San Francisco Bay
“The largest sources of nutrient pollution and algae blooms in the San Francisco Bay — 37 different sewage treatment plants — are cleaning up their act. Faced with two blooms called “red tides,” deadly to marine life, officials will soon recommend the first-ever restrictions on the release of the nutrients, such as nitrogen, into the Bay, a vast body of water that has long seemed resilient to trouble. Nitrogen is not a toxin; it is necessary for a healthy ecosystem. But too much of it, discharged in wastewater from human urine, sets off a complex series of events that causes too much algae to grow, which depletes oxygen and kills marine life. Last year, a harmful bloom caused piles of stinking fish corpses to wash ashore. This summer, a smaller bloom appeared and then vanished. “The science is telling us that we need to reduce nutrient loads as quickly as possible,” said Eileen White, executive officer for the San Francisco Bay Regional Water Quality Control Board, which regulates sewage treatment plants. “What has happened is a game-changer.” … ” Read more from the San Jose Mercury News.
SAN JOAQUIN VALLEY
State Water Board selects Stantec to oversee drinking water system repairs in Teviston
“Advancing the state’s commitment to securing safe drinking water for all Californians as a human right, the State Water Resources Control Board has appointed a water system administrator to the Teviston Community Services District in Tulare County to guide the system’s interim and long-term solutions to its drinking water problems. Stantec, an engineering consulting firm, will be the first water system administrator for Teviston, a small, rural community contending with system outages and groundwater contamination from 1,2,3 trichloropropane (TCP) since 2018. Since the pump failed on the system’s only well in June 2021, the SAFER program has funded hauled water delivery for residents through Self Help Enterprises. … ” Read more from the State Water Resources Control Board.
SAN DIEGO
Water released from El Capitan reservoir in Lakeside as precaution
“The City of San Diego has announced that today it has begun releasing water from El Capitan Reservoir in Lakeside, in anticipation of a potential spill due to Tropical Storm Hilary. Flowing water will be visible downstream from the dam in El Monte Valley and beyond. The notice is posted on the city’s webpage for El Capitan Reservoir. El Capitan is an aging dam made of rocks, built in 1934. The dam is 237 feet tall and 1,170 feet wide, but no longer meets state standards, ECM warned back in 2017. … ” Read more from East County Magazine.
Column: Lawyers, votes and money: San Diego’s water wars
Columnist Michael Smolens writes, “The Colorado River is healthier and Lake Mead is rising. That news is welcome but brings little joy in San Diego’s water world at the moment. A lawsuit between agencies has been authorized. Legislation that could block two small districts from getting cheaper water elsewhere hit a bump in the road in Sacramento. And a controversial hire by a water district that supplies San Diego County with water is being eyed warily by some officials. … ” Continue reading at the San Diego Union-Tribune.
Commentary: Climate change will undermine quest by Fallbrook and Rainbow for cheaper water
Chris Jennewein, editor and publisher of Times of San Diego, writes, “The long-running debate over whether the Fallbrook and Rainbow communities should leave the San Diego County Water Authority to obtain cheaper rates ignores a very large elephant in the room — climate change. If the two rural communities cast their lot with Riverside County, their agricultural economy will depend upon the Colorado River and the State Water Project, both of which have been reeling from increasingly severe droughts. … “The superior reliability of SDCWA’s supply has benefitted FPUD and RMWD in the past … In switching from being wholesale customers of SDCWA to EMWD, FPUD and especially RMWD may face some challenges,” according to the official report for LAFCO. … ” Read more from the Times of San Diego.
In national water news today …
A holistic approach to hydropower data
“In 2021, hydropower contributed 16% to total global electricity production, whereas in the United States it accounted for only about 6% of the total (although it was responsible for 31.5% of electricity generated domestically from renewable sources), according to the U.S. Energy Information Administration. That small share of U.S. production could be higher: The 2016 Hydropower Vision Report, published by the U.S. Department of Energy’s (DOE) Water Power Technologies Office (WPTO), stated that “U.S. hydropower could grow from 101 gigawatts (GW) of capacity to nearly 150 GW by 2050.” Whether hydroelectric generation should be expanded is a point of contention, as it is not without downsides. … ” Read more from EOS.
Severe weather set to boost US disaster funding needs, FEMA says
“Growing extreme-weather risks mean President Joe Biden’s expected request for billions in extra disaster-relief funding might not be enough for the next fiscal year, FEMA head Deanne Criswell said. Biden’s roughly $12 billion request would cover the spending year ending Sept. 30, the Federal Emergency Management Agency administrator said on CBS’s Face the Nation on Sunday. “As we’re continuing to see the increase in these severe weather events, that dollar amount may need to go up as we go into next fiscal year,” Criswell said. … ” Read more from Bloomberg.
How the infrastructure law creates state oil winners and losers
“It’s hard not to gag when first smelling the sulfur emanating from Boehmer “Lake” in the middle of the scrubby desert here. The 60-acre body of water wasn’t created naturally, but from an abandoned and unplugged well drilled by Pure Oil Co. in the early 1950s that wasn’t productive. Since 2003, the well officially known as Sloan Blair #1 has been spewing hundreds of gallons of putrid water every minute to create a toxic lake contaminated with hydrogen sulfide and other chemicals. “It’s a damn cavern,” said Ty Edwards, general manager of the Middle Pecos Groundwater Conservation District, who called the lake an “environmental disaster” that is killing animals and trees. … ” Read more from E&E News.
More news and commentary in the weekend edition …
In California water news this weekend …
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Cloud play over Alviso by Peter Thoeny. Flooding disaster threatens Southern California as Hilary takes aim
- As historic Hilary storm barrels toward California, state calls for all-hands-on-deck help
- State Water Board begins rulemaking to Make Conservation a California Way of Life
- Did you know? Tools for tracking Lake Tahoe’s clarity were invented at the Vatican
- The real story behind that photo of a weirdly unscathed house in the rubble of Lahaina
- Once feared, Diablo Canyon now key to California clean energy goals
- HEATHER DYER: Mastering the art of personal resilience
- Marin water utility set to begin studies of new supply options
- Ducks Unlimited projects underway at popular Elkhorn Slough in California
- Group proposes to fill Lake Mead by draining Lake Powell
- And more …
Click here for the weekend digest.
